1) God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite
power and wisdom doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all
creatures and things,a from the greatest even
to the least,b by his most wise and holy
providence, to the end for the which they were created, according
unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable
counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his
wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and
mercy.c
(a Hebrews
1:3, Job
38:11, Isaiah
46:10,11, Psalms
135:6; b Matthew
10:29-31; c Ephesians
1:11)
2) Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree
of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and
infallibly;d so that there is not anything
befalls any by chance, or without his
providence;e yet by the same providence he
ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second
causes, either necessarily, freely, or
contingently.f
(d Acts
2:23; e Proverbs
16:33; f Genesis
8:22)
3) God, in his ordinary providence maketh use of
means,g yet is free to work
without,h above,i and against
themj at his pleasure.
(g Acts
27:31,44, Isaiah
55:10,11; h Hosea
1:7; i Romans
4:19-21; j Daniel
3:27)
4) The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and
infinite goodness of God, so far manifest themselves in his
providence, that his determinate counsel extendeth itself even to
the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and
men;k and that not by a bare permission, which
also he most wisely and powerfully boundeth, and otherwise
ordereth and governeth,l in a manifold
dispensation to his most holy ends;m yet so, as
the sinfulness of their acts proceedeth only from the creatures,
and not from God, who, being most holy and righteous, neither is
nor can be the author or approver of sin.n
(k Romans
11:32-34, 2 Samuel
24:1, 1
Chronicles 21:1; l 2 Kings
19:28, Psalms
76:10; m Genesis
1:20, Isaiah
10:6,7,12; n Psalms
50:21, 1 John
2:16)
5) The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth
oftentimes leave for a season his own children to manifold
temptations and the corruptions of their own hearts, to chastise
them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden
strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that
they may be humbled; and to raise them to a more close and
constant dependence for their support upon himself; and to make
them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for
other just and holy ends.o So that whatsoever
befalls any of his elect is by his appointment, for his glory,
and their good.p
(o 2
Chronicles 32:25,26,31, 2
Corinthians 12:7-9; p Romans
8:28)
6) As for those wicked and ungodly men whom God, as the
righteous judge, for former sin doth blind and
harden;q from them he not only withholdeth his
grace, whereby they might have been enlightened in their
understanding, and wrought upon their hearts;r
but sometimes also withdraweth the gifts which they
had,s and exposeth them to such objects as
their corruption makes occasion of sin;t and
withal, gives them over to their own lusts, the temptations of
the world, and the power of Satan,u whereby it
comes to pass that they harden themselves, under those means
which God useth for the softening of
others.v
(q Romans
1:24-26,28, Romans
11:7,8; r Deuteronomy 29:4;
s Matthew
13:12; t Deuteronomy 2:30, 2
Kings 8:12,13; u Psalms 81:11,12, 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12;
v Exodus 8:15,32, Isaiah 6:9,10, 1
Peter 2:7,8)
7) As the providence of God doth in general reach to
all creatures, so after a more special manner it taketh care of
his church, and disposeth of all things to the good
thereof.w
(w 1
Timothy 4:10, Amos
9:8,9, Isaiah
43:3-5)